Former Vt. Gov. Dean not ruling out presidential run

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean said in an interview at WMUR-TV that he expects former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to run for president and be the Democratic nominee, but if she doesn't run, he isn't ruling out another bid himself.

"It is too early to speculate on what I am going to do or anyone else is going to do," Dean said about what would happen if Clinton announced she wasn't running.

Dean, who finished second in the 2004 New Hampshire primary, was back in the Granite State to give a speech on health care at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. Last month he was in Iowa, the other early presidential primary state.

Regarding health care reform, Dean said most Americans don't support the Affordable Care Act in opinion polls because there is so much confusion about what is in the law. When the law is fully implemented and they understand it more fully, then they will grow to like it, he said.

"Republicans know this will be very popular for Democrats and that's why they are trying to oppose it," he said.

As Washington lawmakers head toward two important fiscal deadlines, Dean "guaranteed" that Democrats would take back control of the U.S. House if the federal government is shut down or the nation's debt ceiling is breached.

He also said that if Republicans nominate "right-wingers" for president like U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, or Ted Cruz, Democrats would easily win the presidency again. On the other hand, if Republicans nominate New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie or former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Dean predicted the 2016 presidential race would be "a real race."